Commission sets Feb. 25 hearings on multiple joint zoning ordinance amendments and a Mapleton rezoning

Minnehaha County commissioners on Tuesday authorized publication of public‑hearing notices for several proposed amendments to the 2001 revised joint zoning ordinance the county shares with nearby cities and set those hearings for Feb. 25, 2025.

The items scheduled for hearing include an ordinance amendment to add regulations for vacation home (short‑term) rentals (ordinance amendment 2501), an amendment to explicitly allow long‑term leases and rentals in certain zoning categories (ordinance amendment 2503), and an amendment to allow and regulate use of intermodal shipping containers as accessory buildings or temporary uses (ordinance amendment 2502). The commission also set a Feb. 25 hearing for a rezoning request for a 40‑acre parcel in the Mapleton golf planned development to return that acreage to A‑1 agricultural zoning; the notice for that rezoning was recorded in the agenda as rezoning 2501.

Planning staff said the short‑term rental amendment would allow vacation home rentals as a conditional‑use in five zoning districts and add a definition and guidelines in Article 12 of the joint ordinance. Scott Anderson, planning director, told commissioners the goal is uniform rules across the joint jurisdictions and that short‑term rentals have operated under similar rules in the Sioux Falls joint area without major problems.

County planning staff said the long‑term lease amendment (2503) arose after court cases raised questions about whether long‑term leases were clearly allowed in the ordinance. Kevin Hookman said the change would clarify that long‑term leases — including farmland leases, contractor storage yards and residential long‑term rentals — are permitted in the applicable zoning districts.

On shipping containers (2502), Hookman said the amendment would permit containers as accessory structures or building components, add general and zoning‑specific requirements, and allow temporary placement of containers for up to 90 days without a building permit. He told the commission that in some cases staff could work with property owners on extensions or allow containers during an active building permit; he also gave a typical building permit cost of $60.

The Mapleton rezoning item would rezone a 40‑acre area of a previously planned golf development back to A‑1 agricultural to enable transfer of building eligibilities, county staff said. The petitioners told the planning commission they hold multiple eligibilities on contiguous land and plan a subsequent conditional‑use hearing for transfer of those eligibilities.

The county authorized the auditor to publish the hearing notices; commissioners approved the motions by voice vote.

The joint hearings on Feb. 25 will be held with representatives from the City of Dell Rapids, county staff said. Staff noted the planning commissions of the affected jurisdictions had each recommended approval of the ordinance language and that the joint planning commission voted unanimously on Jan. 27.